Tag: daily Gospel readings

Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. . . . Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

There is a clear line between cause and effect in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus spends the night in prayer to God, and the next day he called the Twelve Apostles to follow him and healed everyone in the crowd of their diseases and unclean spirits. How was this possible except through Jesus’ connection to God through prayer? And what was the result? “Power came forth from him and healed them all.”

As Father Burke Masters says, “If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray?” God, help me understand the necessity of prayer, not because of its effect or because through it I will become powerful, but because you are the source of all love and you loved me first. Jesus models how to pray to the Father, and he sets a high standard for having an authentic relationship with him through prayer. In the midst of a busy day, how will I be able to rise to that standard? God, give me the grace to return to you throughout today.

Jesus, teach me to go as you did to the Father, who knows what I need even before I ask. I want to know that I can ask anything of you as I weigh the day’s decisions, however small, and be confident that you hear and answer me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Then Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”

The scribes and Pharisees are with Jesus in the synagogue. A man with a withered hand is present, so they are watching Jesus to see if he will cure on the sabbath so that they can accuse him of something. Jesus knew their intentions and what to say to them, which is echoed in the Psalms: “For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; the arrogant may not stand in your sight. You hate all evildoers.” Jesus cured the man, calling out beforehand the evil of the scribes and Pharisees. I can see myself in the role of the man with the withered hand. Being like Jesus is in this passage—that’s another thing.

Although Jesus was in a position to judge them as the Son of God, when in my own life am I able to judge others? I think of certain vocations such as marriage and parenting that call for me to be responsible to others in helping them choose to do good. God, help me understand that to be in a position as Saint Paul is in the first reading, to call out the evil of others, means that I must live a life that aims always for a higher moral standard. How can I point out the splinter in my brother’s eye without first removing the beam from my own eye? And what do I stand on when doing that? In sincerity and truth. Saint Paul says, “For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

I will struggle today, Lord. I will wish to spend my time in the best way possible, and it still won’t feel like I am doing enough. Be with me, and let me know you are present. I may not be able to stop myself from feeling that time slips away from me and that I can’t hope to accomplish all I hope to do. Let it be enough to know that I can rest in you and trust that what you have for me restores me and is life giving. In that way, help me to choose to do good and turn away from evil.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

“In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus lays out to the crowds—not just the disciples—the cost of discipleship. What Jesus says seems harsh and confusing: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” In my own life with my family, how can it be that I hate my family and then follow Jesus?

God, help me understand this. Because the use of the word hate seems discordant with the same God made man who says you must love your neighbor as yourself, I looked up the the Greek term from which hate is translated. Some of the translations render the Greek term as “love less” or “esteem less.” It is much easier for me to think that Jesus is asking me not to hate my family but to love them or give them less esteem than I do God. As Chicago Bears running back Gayle Sayers has said, “I am third. God is first, others are second, and I am third.”

From the Gospel acclamation, we hear: “Let your face shine upon your servant; and teach me your laws.” If anything stands in the way of that, Lord, let me put that aside. When you say that I cannot be your disciple unless I renounce my possessions, I must remember that everything I know in this world will pass away but that you are always present at my side. I think about Saint Francis renouncing all material goods right down to the robe that covered his skin. As Saint Paul says, “For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” God, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Through your grace, let me learn to love you more than anything else I know or have.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

Is this the time in my life when the bridegroom Christ is with me, or is it the day when he has been taken away from me? Do I celebrate the presence of Christ in my life, or do I fast because he is absent? At the start of the day, I feel a little bit of both of these. How can I make Christ more present today?

God, help me understand that the scribes and Pharisees scrutinized everything Jesus and his disciples did. As I try to piece together how today will play out with many moving pieces, help me understand that you are with me and will not be taken away unless I allow it. Thank you for your presence, Lord!

In receiving the Eucharist this morning, teach me to let go of the oppressive weight of things I cannot change, things I cannot at the moment get to that are gathering dust. It is enough to turn and face the people who are present today and be with them. Jesus, you are the new wine; stay with me today.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, Peter’s faith in Jesus grows when he experiences a miracle. After Peter and his partners had been fishing all night, working hard, Jesus says to him, ”Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter demonstrates his faith in Jesus by saying that at his command, he will lower the nets. After he did this, they caught such a great number of fish that the boat was in danger of sinking. Peter then falls at the knees of Jesus and says, ”Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” In Peter’s initial response to Jesus, there is a trust that lacks faith; in witnessing the miracle, Peter recognizes his shortcoming, loses faith in self-reliance, and comes to put his faith in the Lord.

God, thank you for the example of Peter, who recognized gains made in something other than self-reliance and hard work. He realized the limits of faith in self and would ultimately profess to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” First, however, he listened as Jesus got into his boat and taught the crowds pressing in on him. Every day I try to understand the task you set before me, often in the form of work that I am given to complete. I want to understand, Lord, how to invite you into this, my own boat, to be by my side as I accomplish these tasks and work toward understanding your will for me in relation to my dreams and wishes. I have to say that that is not always clear for me to discern or easy to do. Help me learn how to say, “At your command, I will do this.”

What you say to Peter, Lord, I can hear you say to me: ”Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” I hear what you say, but I don’t know what that means in relation to my own identity. Teach me the meaning of “putting out into the deep.” You know every vain attempt I have ever made, every good thing I have tried to grasp and wouldn’t let go. And I know you smile at me, not in pity but out of love. Let me consider the times I pursued material gain to the point of idolatry. Have I looked for honor instead of you? You know I have. When I seek what puffs me up with pride, that automatically excludes you, and I seek you in vain. Stay with me, Lord; show me in what waters I need to put out into the deep. Let me learn to trust you more and more.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law from her fever, cured sick with various diseases, and expelled demons. At daybreak, Jesus went to a deserted place until crowds found him and tried to prevent him from leaving them. Jesus told them that in order to fulfill his purpose, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.” Luke’s account of this day in the life of Jesus presents the divine physician, capable of healing any illness and various diseases.

God, help me understand that, as in so many other accounts of Jesus healing people, it takes effort on the part of the people being healed to show themselves to him. Just as doctors diagnose and heal the sick when they present the illness to them, Jesus sees and heals those who come to him for the sake of being healed. In the account of Simon’s mother-in-law, who was sick with a severe fever, Luke says that they interceded with Jesus about her. Intercessory prayer, then, is also a means of bringing others to Jesus for healing. And how does he heal? Jesus, the Son of God, creator of the universe, heals them by laying his hands on them.

The people who knew of Jesus went looking for him, bringing to him all who were sick, so much so that they tried to prevent him from leaving. The crowds found him, and he laid hands on each of them. What a gift we have, then, in the Eucharist, where Jesus is truly present! There, we encounter him face to face and body and soul—not as if he were present but present in flesh and blood. How could I doubt for a minute that the same Jesus Christ who cured the sick with the touch of his hands lives in me through the sacraments and the Eucharist? Divine physician, here I am; heal me of every illness and let me desire to be healed.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”

It always strikes me that demons, unclean spirits, recognize the divinity of Jesus, while the scribes and Pharisees don’t. If the Evil One takes pride in his work on earth, surely one of his greatest apparent victories is a person’s failure to recognize what Satan knows without a doubt: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And if Satan knows this about Jesus, he knows that Jesus came in power and glory to destroy him. With a word, Jesus quiets the demon and expels him from the man.

Thank you, God, for your Son in this account of his work on earth. In saying “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Jesus speaks, and a new reality is created for the man possessed. It takes only a his word to bring forth reality, just as when God spoke at the beginning of creation to bring it into existence: “Let there be light, and there was light.” In my own life, there is great peace and security in knowing that to speak the name Jesus is to bring into reality at that moment the risen and living Word of God that can banish darkness and expel into the light anything that does not belong.

Jesus, if I put myself into your presence and say your name and see behind closed eyes only a blue-black void, I have no doubt in my mind that you are present. If the many voices I hear run ceaselessly all while I stay with you for a moment, I know you hear me as I say your name. Hear me throughout the day as I work and speak with others and try to use your gift of time as best as I am able. Jesus, one more thing I ask, give me peace to silence the many voices and desires that do not lead me to you. Bring me into your presence and show me where to go.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.

Today’s Gospel reading describes an age-old clash between good and evil: John proclaims what is truthful, and Herod’s wife holds a deadly grudge. It sounds like the beginning of a murder mystery, an archetypal human story. Anybody can harbor this grudge to kill, if not literally, then certainly in spirit. Although Jesus doesn’t appear in this passage, what he said elsewhere in the Gospel applies: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” The body survives what can devastate the soul, and there are those whose grudges mean to destroy the soul.

God, help me understand that I will encounter in my life people whose aim is to persecute me and other Christians because of you. Because I am Christian, there are people who mean to mistreat me. Against that, there is power that shines through in words and deeds inspired by the Holy Spirit. From the first reading, Saint Paul says, “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” It’s hard for me to imagine someone as tough and resilient as Saint Paul saying that he was afraid. But although he came in weakness and fear and trembling, he knew his strength was in the crucified and risen Christ and “with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

Jesus, I know you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. How is it that the body given up to crucifixion is the body that becomes our Eucharistic food, your real presence? Against any doubt I might have in your real presence, it is no trick or deception that you are there before me. Stay with me today and shield all who are persecuted—body and soul—by the work of the Evil One because of your holy name.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

These words of Jesus to the Pharisees and his guest are hard to act on. Where are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind around me? But what made me do a double take on reading this was these words of Jesus: “For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” From the mouth of Jesus himself comes the word resurrection, or, what will follow life on earth. Those who have invited the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind will be repaid though Christ and in him with eternal life.

God, help me understand the ways I see daily the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. It is not necessarily on a busy street corner in the city. Don’t I encounter all of these every day in my family and the people I interact with, even if that interaction is only through email or over the phone? Thank you for the opportunity, Lord, to see your son in their faces and hear his voice in their voices.

As I receive the Eucharist today, God, quiet my mind so that I know peace in the real presence of your son Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity. I must ask you also that you stay with me throughout the day—that I remember that presence so I know how to respond to the people you place in front of me. Thank you for your presence, Lord; it is a place of rest and means of replenishing strength for the day.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Memorial of Saint Monica

His master said to him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.”

In the parable of the talents, the master calls the servant who buries his talent wicked and lazy. To the servant who received two talents and made two more, the master says, “Well done.” To the servant whom the master gave five talents, on hearing that he made five more, the master says the exact same words: “Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” It’s not the amount of talent that the servants give back that matters; it’s the making good of the talents they received that counts. As a result, the first two servants share in the master’s joy.

Lord, help me recognize that everything you give me is a gift. Help me see and use your gifts to the best of my ability so I can share in your joy. Saint Monica, today’s saint, saw the talents in her son Saint Augustine and was relentless in prayer until she saw him use them fully, returning to you through his conversion. In this parable, Jesus, you say, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Through your grace, Lord, keep me from growing spiritually destitute. Help me grow rich in inviting you into my daily life and in knowing and doing your will.

Stay with me today, God, in the people yo

u place in front of me. It is easy now to put myself in your presence, but no mean feat as the day wears on. The Psalmist says, “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust.” Be my help and my shield, and show me how to use my talents to give glory to your holy name.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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